It’s the last step in getting medical marijuana to needy patients: first you grow it, then you process it, and finally — you sell it.
On Monday, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy is expected to announce dozens of locations across the state where medical marijuana can be sold at state-licensed dispensaries, including 17 spots in central and southeastern Ohio. Five of the dispensaries are expected to be located in Columbus and Franklin County.
More than 100 groups have applied for the 17 spots, including 58 applicants in Franklin County alone — despite the fact that relatively few patients will be allowed to purchase the drug. Only a select list of 21 diseases and conditions will make patients eligible, including things like multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.
“We are estimating less than two-percent of the state’s population to actually be eligible to use medical marijuana,” said Marc Sweeney, a professor in the College of Pharmacy at Cedarville University.
None of the state’s medical marijuana supply will be grown in Franklin County, after the single cultivation licensee who was approved for Columbus instead decided to build his growing operation in Canton.
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy will meet on Monday morning, with a full list of dispensaries expected to be announced by the end of the day.
